2004 Reflections

January

Lead singers JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake each reaffirmed their dedication to *NSYNC in separate media interviews. Timberlake, in a GQ UK interview published in January, emphasized that he had been upfront with his bandmates before recording Justified, saying that *NSYNC was “still a priority and will always be a priority,” and projected that the group would “do another album.”

Chasez emphasized ongoing communication among members. In a Q100 Atlanta radio interview, JC offered a more detailed projection: he explained that he would “do [his] thing” for the first half of the year and likely into the summer, but that the group had discussed a timeline and were aiming to release something by the end of 2004 or the beginning of 2005. This early-year interview effectively mapped out JC’s understanding of how the group’s progress might unfold, suggesting that, at least publicly, there was still a shared commitment to regrouping.

February

JC had two televised appearances in which he referenced an eventual *NSYNC reunion but was vague about specifics. In contrast, Lance Bass was very specific when he commented to Fox News’s Roger Friedman, Telling Friedman that the group’s next album would come in 2005 after Justin had finished filming the movie Edison and released a second album.

March

At the opening of Hart & Huntington tattoo parlor, Chris Kirkpatrick was supposedly overheard telling another partygoer that *NSYNC would love to tour again, but Justin Timberlake “doesn’t want to do a reunion.”

In an interview with Hip Online, JC Chasez reiterated plans to start brainstorming for the group’s next album in late spring.

Joey Fatone floated the idea of a solo comedy album and acknowledged that side projects were still active but also claiming that group efforts would resume once individual projects “died down”.

People.com’s Daily Insider quoted both Joey and Lance Bass expressing optimism about a reunion, with Lance projecting a new album by 2005.

April

JC Chasez appeared on the UK television program CDUK, where he reiterated that *NSYNC hadn’t officially broken up, but gave no firm timeline for regrouping. Undercover.com, a media website from Australia, published a speculative blurb claiming *NSYNC would reunite for a one-off charity event later in the year, followed by a return to the studio with no set deadline. Meanwhile, GrooveVolt.com’s “Ms. Blabbamouth” offered some speculation of its own, with the gossip column alleging that Justin Timberlake wanted more visibility and more money if he were to return to *NSYNC.

May

In a Times UK profile piece, JC Chasez insisted that *NSYNC would reform. The article’s author framed his career choices as cautious rather than ambitious and suggested that JC “should have jumped at the chance to reinvent himself as a serious artist,” but instead chose to wait for the group to reunite.

June

JC Chasez gave two interviews, and in both he emphasized that the group still talked regularly and that a new album was “just a matter of time.” He also, JC acknowledged the emotional toll of burnout and performing the same songs night after night, describing the hiatus as a necessary reset.

July

In an interview published in PopRepublic.tv’s August issue (released in July), JC Chasez described each member of *NSYNC as being “in a great space” professionally, confirming that the group would reunite at the upcoming Challenge for the Children (CFTC) event. Chasez also claimed the group they planned to discuss their schedules and eventually “cut another NSync record.” Media coverage of the CFTC indicated that internal group discussions were scheduled to take place after the weekend concluded.

According to Lance Bass’s memoir Out of Sync, there was a group meeting in which Justin Timberlake announced his departure. This meeting likely occurred on Monday, July 26th, following the charity weekend. The Irish Examiner published a rumor claiming that Justin’s reluctance to return had stalled the release of a planned greatest hits album, say that executives at Jive Records were reportedly unable to convince him to record new vocals, despite the other members being ready to reform.

August

In GQ UK Justin Timberlake was quoted as saying “You’re never contractually obligated to do anything,” when asked about returning to *NSYNC. MTV News reported that the group had reunited weeks prior at the CFTC event, but Jive Records confirmed that no new music was planned for the remainder of the year.

Manager Johnny Wright echoed the uncertainty in a radio KLUC Las Vegas interview, saying that “…we’re waiting for some important decisions to be made. Justin is in a position where he has a great solo career and if, indeed, he does go back to *NSYNC, it really has to be in his best interest.” Wright also noted that each member had individual pursuits—Joey on Broadway, Lance producing films, Chris with his clothing line, and JC continuing his music—and that nothing could be confirmed until internal decisions were finalized. When asked about the possibility of another *NSYNC album, Wright expressed optimism but stressed timing, saying that “The bond between these guys is air tight. But the timing must be perfect.” He also promoted Justin’s upcoming film Edison, scheduled for release in early 2005, calling it “huge” and saying all the members were excited about it.

People Magazine cited unnamed sources claiming that Justin had “dropped the bomb” on *NSYNC during their Miami meeting, telling his bandmates he wasn’t interested in recording another album. The report suggested that the rest of the group hadn’t taken the news well, and felt strung along until Justin’s solo career was secure.

Joey Fatone and JC Chasez each did interviews with Sirius Satellite Radio, denying a formal breakup but offering no updates on new music. Meanwhile, The Times Leader published gossip alleging that Cameron Diaz was a source of friction within the group and a possible impetus for the breakup.

September

People Magazine published two features surrounding Joey Fatone’s wedding to longtime partner Kelly Baldwin. The first noted that *NSYNC had “recently been dealt a blow” by Justin Timberlake’s decision not to participate in a new album. The second confirmed that all five members attended the wedding, though the tone of the piece alluded to underlying tensions. Page Six reported that Justin’s arrival with a bodyguard was unexpected by the other members, supposedly shocking the rest of the group.

Groove Volt claimed that Justin had planned a meeting with the group but canceled upon learning that a Jive Records representative would be present. A close associate was quoted saying, “He really has no interest in returning to the fold.” Overall, the month’s coverage reflected a shift from hopeful ambiguity to reputational fracture, with Justin’s actions increasingly framed as distancing and decisive.

In terms of individual timelines for each member, here’s how most of 2004 played out:

Chris Kirkpatrick

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find much information about Chris’ professional pursuits or casual sightings during 2004. Unlike prior years, there were very few sources that discussed his individual projects or offered any clarity about the state of *NSYNC from his perspective. The one source I found was the NY Daily News’ blurb saying he was supposedly overheard telling another Hart & Huntington guest that “We’d love to go on tour, but Justin doesn’t want to do a reunion”. Chris reportedly attended a party at this venue with Lance Bass and Joey Fatone. Based on how the interaction was described it seems that his fellow bandmates were not part of his conversation with the unnamed guest.

Joey Fatone

Media coverage of Joey’s professional activity in 2004 was notably sparse compared to prior years. One source mentioned his role in a musical adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood, released direct-to-video, and noted that he was still entertaining the idea of a solo comedy album. While this suggests that the concept may have still felt viable to him, no formal project materialized. Joey was seen at industry events like the H Hilfiger launch party and reportedly attended the Hart & Huntington gathering with Chris Kirkpatrick and Lance Bass, though he was not quoted in coverage. A secondhand account of his Sirius Satellite Radio interview in August indicated that he denied rumors of a formal breakup, claiming that the timing wasn’t right for a reunion because they were all doing other things.

Lance Bass

The relevant sources I uncovered for 2004 didn’t mention much about Lance’s professional goings-on. According to Roger Friedman he was spotted at one of Justin Timberlake’s performances at the Hyatt Hotel in February. Later in the year Lance was also spotted at the H Hilfiger party with Joey Fatone. As with Joey, Lance was reportedly seen at the Hart & Huntington party but was not quoted by the NY Daily News. In the first half of 2004 he repeatedly expressed optimistic, affirming comments about *NSYNC reuniting and projected that they could complete the next album as early as 2005.

JC Chasez

JC Chasez spent most of the year actively promoting the Schizophrenic album, which was released in February. He did multiple interviews with different media outlets to discuss the project and he also fielded questions about the likelihood of *NSYNC reuniting, though his responses about the group became noticeably more vague as the year progressed. The year started with pointed response and a mention of a proposed timeline but later shifted into things being “just a matter of time”. By early August there was no mention of a timeline and the group was going to “explore a[sic] idea” after everyone had finished individual projects.

Justin Timberlake

In early 2004, Justin performed at the Super Bowl halftime show alongside Janet Jackson, an appearance that generated significant media attention. While most sources did not explicitly reference the incident, its aftermath shaped public perception and may have influenced internal group dynamics. In March, Chris Kirkpatrick was reportedly overheard suggesting that Justin “maybe he should” consider a reunion with *NSYNC in light of recent events. Throughout the year, Justin continued promoting his solo career and filming Edison, a project Lance Bass cited as a scheduling factor.

Timberlake’s public stance on the group shifted noticeably over the course of 2004—from affirming that *NSYNC was “still a priority” in January to distancing comments by August that emphasized personal autonomy over contractual obligation. By late summer, multiple sources framed Justin’s actions as distancing, with reports of canceled meetings and reluctance to record new material.

What’s notable about 2004 is that this year seems to have shown the most activity from non-group members since 2002. There was input from Jive Records and its representatives, *NSYNC’s manager Johnny Wright, and unnamed sources who dispersed unofficial information over the course of the year. Let’s look at what was said, specifically:

Anonymice

Information from anonymous people started to come out in spring of 2004. The gossip blurb from the NY Daily News could be categorized as a contribution from an anon since the identity of whomever claimed to overhear the conversation wasn’t revealed. The news item from Australia’s Undercover Media could be considered something from an anonymouse because a source wasn’t identified in the piece. Also, curiously, the blurb from Undercover predates the official press release containing the same information by about 5 weeks, which raises the question of who relayed this information to a foreign outlet prior to official approval. (Note: This press release was located after the May graphics were uploaded, so it isn’t reflected in the visual timeline for that month.) Around this time another anonymouse was active, telling North American outlet Groove Volt that Justin Timberlake supposedly wanted more visibility and more money if he was expected to return to *NSYNC.

Peak activity from anonymice happened in the summer of 2004. In July, the Irish Examiner relayed gossip from Britain’s Daily Mirror, claiming that Justin’s refusal to record with the group was stalling the release of a planned greatest hits album. The blurb also mentioned a possible holiday special, though its status was reportedly uncertain due to his lack of cooperation. People Magazine published an August feature citing unnamed sources who claimed Justin had “dropped the bomb” on the group, saying he wasn’t feeling the group dynamic and didn’t think it would work. One source suggested that most of the group felt strung along until Justin was confident in his solo career. Later that month, The Starr Report in the Times Leader echoed the theme of departure but added a different spin, alleging that Cameron Diaz was a source of internal friction.

In September, GrooveVolt.com quoted an anonymous associate who claimed Justin had scheduled a meeting with the group but canceled upon learning that a Jive Records representative would be present. The source concluded, “He really has no interest in returning to the fold.” These anonymice contributions collectively reframed the group’s trajectory from hopeful ambiguity to reputational fracture by attributing emotional rupture and strategic distancing to Justin’s actions. While unverifiable, they shaped the public narrative and added emotional texture to the timeline.

Jive Records

In August, representatives from Jive Records were moderately active in responding to rumors and media inquiries. MTV News was told that there were no scheduled albums for *NSYNC or for is individual members for the remainder of 2004. Days later, an unnamed spokesperson was quoted by People Magazine as saying “There’s no album scheduled for this year from either ‘N Sync, Justin Timberlake or JC Chasez. The group is still together.

Johnny Wright

From the sources available from 2004, Wright’s public messaging was more limited than in previous years and reflected a mix between optimism and ambiguity. In his KLUC Las Vegas interview, some of which was relayed via Popdirt, he emphasized that any reunion would need to align with the group’s best interests, with particular emphasis on Justin’s career and priorities. His statements helped maintain the appearance of cohesion while subtly pointing to the emotional and logistical imbalance that shaped the year’s trajectory.

When listing each member’s individual pursuits, Wright referenced Chris Kirkpatrick’s clothing line without naming it. By August 2004, FuMan Skeeto had already ended its final phase, with the primary business being dissolved months earlier. He also cited Lance Bass’ production work and Joey Fatone’s Broadway career, though a closer look at each man’s path would show a sharp contrast between the two. Joey was wrapping up his stint in Little Shop of Horrors, which officially ended on August 22. That was his second run on Broadway and in between he’d done other short-term jobs like hosting NBC’s Fame.

While Johnny Wright referenced Lance Bass’s production work in his August 2004 interview, none of the mainstream sources from that year—especially those focused on the reunion timeline—mentioned any active projects. To clarify Lance’s professional activity, I had to dig deeper into archived materials, including a May 2004 FilmStew article confirming that his original company, A Happy Place, had been rebranded as Bacon & Eggs LLC. The article notes that Love Wrecked was being fast-tracked for production in June, making it Lance’s first known project since On the Line in 2001. Filming wrapped in August, so while what was said about Lance’s career may have been true at the time it didn’t convey the  gaps filled with hosting/cameo jobs instead of substantive work.

Johnny’s mention of JC was only that he was making music, without any language that would imply a high-profile connection (e.g., Joey and Broadway). While his ongoing struggles in releasing Schizophrenic have been documented by multiple other fans, it’s worth mentioning that in the time frame between the start of the so-called hiatus and 2004, there were some successes for JC when it came to music. Schizophrenic debuted in the top 20 on the Billboard 200 and JC had scored a UK Dance chart #1 song thanks to his collaboration with Basement Jaxx. So even with the obstacles affecting his solo project and minimal support to keep the momentum, JC still managed to be the only member of NSYNC who was charting that year. The omission of achievements that related most closely to *NSYNC’s identity as a musical group seems strange.

Wright’s rundown may have relied on selective framing or cherry-picked projects to maintain the appearance of equal momentum among members, rather than reflecting the full context of their careers in 2004. Possibly this was intended to reassure fans or preserve the illusion of cohesion, but it also obscured the uneven visibility and momentum among members.

With all of these factors in mind from a month-to-month perspective and a person-to-person perspective, it seems like there were a few dominant patterns or concepts that emerged over the course of 2004. And these things seem to diverge when it came to that fateful meeting after the CFTC. With that in mind, I think the easiest way to evaluate the information from the gear would be to split it into pre-July and post-July.  As I see it, the dominant themes from publicly available sources point towards projected reunion, tempered optimism, and reputational management.

Projected Reunion and Tempered Optimism – I’ve grouped these two themes together because they feel inseparable. Every comment from a member of *NSYNC that referenced a reunion carried a tone of anticipation and positivity. Regardless of what they may have thought or felt privately, each member seemed interested in and pleased by the idea of reuniting. They spoke about returning to the studio and recording another album—even if they didn’t offer a specific timeline.

Qualitatively, I can’t estimate which member seemed the most eager or optimistic. But quantitatively, based on the sources that referenced a reunion or timeline, JC Chasez was the member who spoke about it most frequently. It’s also worth noting that his comments became progressively vaguer as the year went on. One quote that stood out came from Joey Fatone, as relayed by People Magazine’s Daily Insider in March 2004. When asked about an eventual reunion, he said, “It’s odd to say, you may not believe it, but yeah, we are.” While not a direct response to public skepticism, the phrasing still acknowledged it indirectly. By that point in the year, most of the group was likely aware of growing media speculation that they wouldn’t reunite—even if that wasn’t a consistent belief among fans.

After the internal rupture at the CFTC meeting in late July, the tone of reunion projections changed noticeably. While Joey Fatone and JC Chasez continued to speak publicly about the group, their comments in early August reflected a more cautious, noncommittal stance, or at least they did based on the secondhand summaries of their Sirius Radio interviews. Neither confirmed new music, and both pointed to diverged schedules as the current factors delaying a reunion. Could these statements be read as tempered optimism, or as reputation management? Without clarification from Chasez or Fatone it’s difficult to say and I’d prefer not to speculate. But for clarity I think some additional input from Out of Sync might be useful to give an idea of what *NSYNC was navigating at the time. According to Lance Bass’s memoir, there was still hope among some members that the group might continue without Justin, at least for a time.

I remember after the meeting asking JC if he thought that this really was the end of *NSYNC. His response was encouraging to me. “I’ll keep it going it with four guys if I have to,” he said.

That sparked me. “I will too,” I said.

“That’s right. We can all sing. He can leave if he wants to do his own thing,

and come back later if he feels like it, but we can do a new *NSYNC album with four guys instead of five.”

I was lit up. I thought maybe if we started recording without him he might even decide at the last minute to lay on some vocals and we’d be together again, at least on record. I stayed hopeful until about a month later, when, back in Orlando from L.A. visiting friends, I ran into JC and discovered that since our last conversation he had apparently changed his tune. Chris wasn’t into doing it now without Justin, and JC thought it wouldn’t work with only the three of us.

Now he was thinking that instead of working on a new *NSYNC album he’d go solo himself.

I told him that was cool. He deserved to be creative in his own way as much as Justin did in his.

This context might help to explain the tone of Joey and JC’s interviews from early August: it seems they weren’t misleading the public but rather navigating a moment when the future of *NSYNC was still unresolved. Once that window closed, the emotional and reputational dynamics shifted—and the public messaging seemed to become more about preservation than possibility.

Reputation Management – Prior to July, most of the group’s public comments didn’t seem deliberately crafted to maintain an image. The statements about an eventual reunion or new album felt sincere—more like casual optimism than strategic messaging. I don’t get the sense that Joey, JC, Lance, or Chris was putting on an act for the media. Even Justin’s comments to GQ UK in January, while questionable in hindsight, may have reflected genuine belief at the time. When I created the January graphic, I focused on Timberlake’s comments about mutual respect, brotherhood, and the possibility of another album. But here is the other quote the anonymous Pop Dirt contributor included:

Before I even began the recording process for ‘Justified’, I sat the guys down and told them, ‘Look, this is something I really wanna do… this is something I have to do, but I can’t do it unless I have your support. They knew this was important to me and they were behind me. There was no animosity or sense of betrayal there, because I was upfront with them and I didn’t bullsh** them.” 

These comments didn’t register with me then but rereading it now, they seem reputationally significant. The documented timeline from late Celebrity into the hiatus suggests that the group wasn’t fully informed or aligned about Justin’s solo plans, like his early solicitations for collaborators or his album possibly being half-finished before the group’s final tour. Justin’s framing in these comments positions him as transparent and loyal, even as historical receipts complicate that narrative. This kind of retrospective curation—where past decisions are reframed to preserve integrity—adds another layer to how public messaging shaped the emotional ledger of 2004. I think this interview marked an occasion when the attempt to maintain the reputation of one music act (i.e., Justin Timberlake) inadvertently maintaining the reputation of the other (*NSYNC), and it seems that duality of image management and preservation comes up repeatedly in subtle ways over the course of the year.

The most prominent example of reputational management before July came not from the group itself, but from external media. In April, the Australian website Undercover Media published a speculative blurb claiming that Justin would reunite with *NSYNC for a one-off performance at their annual charity event, followed by a return to the studio. This piece was published roughly five weeks before an official press release confirmed the same information. Based on the timing I’m compelled to ask again: how did an international outlet receive and publish this narrative before it was formally announced?

The framing of the Undercover piece also reinforces reputational choreography. It discussed Justin and *NSYNC as separate entities—suggesting that his participation was conditional, exceptional, or symbolic. This separation mirrors the broader pattern of messaging throughout 2004, where Justin’s solo trajectory was treated as distinct from the group’s collective identity.

After July, the tone and function of reputational management changed. Earlier in the year, public comments, whether from Justin or other members, preserved both individual and group reputations. Even when solo pursuits were emphasized, the messaging still reinforced *NSYNC’s cohesion and viability. But once Justin privately announced his departure, the balance seemed to shift. At that point, *who benefited most from maintaining the image of a unified NSYNC?

Johnny Wright’s KLUC interview leaned heavily on outdated or nonviable projects to suggest that all members were thriving independently. He referenced Lance’s production work (1 film since the “hiatus” started), Chris’s defunct fashion line FuMan Skeeto (inactive), and Joey’s Broadway stints (one of which was going to end soon). His mention of JC was vague, noting only that he was pursuing music. Notably, Wright didn’t cite any specific successes for JC, nor did he offer current updates for the rest of the group. And while some might excuse the lack of detail, it bears repeating that, at least on paper, Johnny was still managing all five members of *NSYNC. When projects were framed to suggest equal footing, equal momentum, and equal choice, whose narrative did that framing ultimately serve? On the surface, Wright’s comments suggested equal footing. But beneath that, the actual conditions and access for each member had been far from equal. It has only been in more recent times that some members of the group have clarified that their career options and momentum were largely shaped by being misled and operating from a position of limited information regarding the real viability of *NSYNC as a group.

Joey and JC’s August interviews denied a formal breakup and loosely implied that an album was still feasible, citing diverged schedules as the main obstacle. At the time, this messaging may have been the most honest reply to questions about the breakup and seemed beneficial for both parts of the duality: for Justin, it preserved the image of loyalty and unfinished business; for *NSYNC, it sustained the hope of reunion. But over time, whose reputation did this narrative truly serve? Who benefited from the suggestion that the group was still intact, even as no new music materialized? And when later revelations showed that some members had been misled or kept in the dark about the group’s real status, who appeared inconsistent, dishonest, or complicit in maintaining a false narrative?

I think this last question is especially worth pondering, especially considering Joey Fatone’s comments over the past six years about not realizing the group was truly over until 2004. Without veering too far off course or into psychobabble, one way to describe Riddle On Her Mind is as an exercise in delayed processing. I don’t want to speculate about Joey’s inner thoughts or put words in his mouth, but in terms of public commentary, the shift from vaguely hopeful allusions to an eventual reunion to his later reflections about waiting to reunite and feeling blindsided could be seen as a form of delayed processing. Even if it was simply a matter of finally feeling comfortable enough to publicly acknowledge what had previously been concealed.

In the past, reputation management for *NSYNC, intentional or not, was also reputation management for Joey by extension. When he spoke positively about the group, he also spoke positively about himself. The same goes for any hopeful comments he relayed to the media. But decades later, and years after the rupture within *NSYNC, Joey exists as a separate entertainment entity. Has the distance between being a member of NSYNC as his primary career versus it being part of his past created more space for him to speak frankly about what happened? I don’t know, and I won’t venture to speculate. But I will take note of the difference between then and now.